NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man has pled guilty to charges of cocaine trafficking and illegal possession of firearms.
According to court documents, on January 15, 2024, a Newport News Police Department (NNPD) officer observed Erick Allen Osby, 29, displaying a firearm to another individual in a parking lot on Warwick Boulevard. Osby then placed the firearm on the front passenger seat of his vehicle before walking across Warwick Boulevard. The officer confirmed the presence of the firearm in the vehicle and alerted uniformed officers nearby who were attending to an unrelated matter.
As the officers watched, Osby interacted with another person and they noticed a partially concealed handgun in his pants pocket. When an officer approached Osby, he fled back across Warwick Boulevard towards his vehicle. During the brief foot chase, Osby discarded a cellphone and a loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun into the median before being apprehended.
Upon investigation, authorities recovered a 9mm semiautomatic handgun from Osby’s vehicle along with a shotgun cartridge, two digital scales, and assorted drug paraphernalia. Additionally, 20.72 grams of cocaine were found in Osby’s pocket. As a previously convicted felon, Osby is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Osby pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. His sentencing is scheduled for February 13, 2025, and he faces up to 20 years in prison for the drug charge and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, up to life in prison, for the firearm charge. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties, as determined by a federal district court judge who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.